American Willing to Listen

An old activist friend of mine, Fran Peavey, used to travel the world’s benches in the 1970s and 80s with a simple sign that read, "American Willing to Listen." We’d be looking at a different political landscape now if only more of us had. Flying home from a recent trip, I...

By Sarah Conover |6/27/2017

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Big-Question Poems to Grow Young Spirits

How do we help young children grow in faith? The answer can be curriculum, a discussion, or an experience. Whatever conduit we use will only help children grow in spirituality if it engages the heart of the family.

By Christy Olson |5/2/2017

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The Courage to Hold Up a Mirror

Dear Keepers of the Faith, It takes a lot of courage to witness to injustice . Some of our brave colleagues, notably Aisha Hauser and Christina Rivera, have held up a mirror before the UUA and named what they see. I do not think it is necessary for us to agree on what the mirror...

By Jessica York |3/29/2017

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Ready to Learn from New Orleans

Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we find ourselves treading on [another's dream]. More serious still, we may forget that God was there before our arrival. —...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail |3/24/2017

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Choosing to Say "Hands off the Hijab"

by Kathy Slade I had tried to talk Linnie out of going to the protest as she had another obligation. I said she'd be one person among thousands and her being there would not matter as much as it would at the meeting she was supposed to attend. But she persisted and got out of...

3/23/2017

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For a Child's UU Identity: Love and Help

What promises are made in my family about how we treat one another? How am I like my friends and how I am I different? What are some Unitarian Universalist things I know by heart? The second edition of Love and Help , a UU identity activity book and program for 7- to 11-year-...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail |3/7/2017

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A Time to Act and a Time to Learn

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered when I was in eighth grade. I remember so clearly watching the news on my family’s small black-and-white television, shocked at what I saw. They replayed news clips of the march on Washington and the “I have a dream” speech, of...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail |2/19/2017

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Signs of Resistance, January 2017

Where Do #WokeBabies Come From?

The weekend of the Inauguration, millions took to the streets in cities all over this nation and all over the world. It was a show of resistance to the looming threat of tyranny. We needed to reassure ourselves that this country’s great experiment in democracy has a fighting...

By Marisol Caballero |1/31/2017

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Qualities of a Leader: Time for All Ages

This inauguration week is an unsettling one for many Unitarian Universalists. While some view the new presidency as an occasion for hope and a fresh start, many others anticipate the immediate future with anxiety. If you are responsible for a Time for All Ages this Sunday, you...

Empathy Carries Us to Standing Rock

You may be aware that Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations, invited clergy of all faiths from every nation to come to the Oceti Sakowin camp at Standing Rock on Sunday, December 4th, 2016. In his appeal, sent far and wide, he said...

By Harlan Limpert |12/7/2016

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Thinking About the "Christ" in Christmas

Technically, Unitarian Universalism is not a Christian faith. As congregations and individuals, we are united not by creeds or rituals but by values and covenants. Although many view UUism's seven Principles as a manifesto of beliefs, they are actually a covenant with which we...

By Susan Lawrence |11/30/2016

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Reflection and Action, after the Presidential Election

I awoke Wednesday morning to a United States that had elected as president a man whose campaign was riddled with sexism, racism, ableism, Islamophobia, childish taunts, and all manner of uncivil discourse. To me, as to many, it felt like a nightmare. The only way we will get...

By UUA Ministries and Faith Development: Faith Development Office |11/10/2016

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Reading for Solidarity: A Common Read for GA 2017

The 2017 UUA General Assembly (GA) will affirm solidarity with movements for racial, economic, and environmental justice. When we gather, June 21 through 25, we will invite the people, culture, geography, and history of New Orleans to be our teachers. Whether we will be an in-...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail |10/20/2016

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UUCA’s RE Volunteer Orientation: The Movie!

Have you noticed how life seems to be getting more and more hectic lately? As a person who spends a lot of time working with volunteers, I certainly have. If I can find a date/time that works for 50% of my volunteer teachers and me, I consider that a win! At the Unitarian...

By Michelle Bishop |10/4/2016

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A Love of Learning and a Social Hall: Where UUism and Homeschoolers Meet

I’m going to preach to the choir here for a minute. We have excellent—truly, truly excellent—faith development models, curricula, and resources. The content is rich, fun, and edifying. The pedagogy is progressive and engaging. And the philosophy is grounded in the best of child...

By Teresa Honey Youngblood |9/22/2016

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Exposed and Transformed: UU-UNO Spring Seminar Energizes UUCF Youth

From the moment our group of seven youth and three adults from the UU Congregation of Fairfax (UUCF) heard the first speaker, we felt the weight of injustice and we began to wear the colors of inequality. The 2016 Unitarian Universalist-United Nations Office (UU-UNO) Spring...

By Linnea Nelson |9/14/2016

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When the Phone Rings, Will You Answer the Call for Justice?

This fall, Unitarian Universalists have a rare and profound opportunity for faith development when Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War airs on PBS on September 20, 2016. The 90-min. film tells the story of two WWII Unitarians who went into Nazi-occupied Europe to help hundreds...

By Carey McDonald |9/6/2016

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A Leap of Faith: Together with Presbyterian Christians

Have you seen the Android commercial where the rock, paper, and scissors become friends? It’s the latest using the tag line, “Be Together. Not the Same.” I admit to loving these ads. My life has been full of experiences of being together with people in groups where I am...